Dave Fairman, Indiana’s public works director, received about 18 calls on a new pothole hotline in its first week of operation.

Most callers were positive and made comments such as, “At least we know it’s on the list” to be repaired, Fairman said.

Mother Nature caused the potholes and to an extent she controls how quickly they can be fixed. To repair potholes, they first need to be free of snow and ice, and secondly, temperatures need to be in the 40s or higher, Fairman said.

Under Pennsylvania’s new transportation plan, PennDOT in March will distribute $345 million in liquid fuels payments to certified municipalities to help them maintain their roads and bridges.

The allocation is $25.1 million more than the 2013 figure, roughly an 8 percent increase.

Liquid fuels allocations are based on a municipality’s population and miles of locally owned roads. Indiana’s liquid fuels payment next month will increase nearly $20,000 to $271,918. But not much of that increase will likely fill potholes.

“I’m over on salt usage. I still have to pay for that,” Fairman said. And the borough’s street crews have been plowing nearly twice as much as in a typical winter, so much of the extra liquid fuels money will probably go to overtime costs, higher fuel bills and equipment maintenance expenses, he added.

Motorists can report the locations of potholes — whether they’re in the 37 miles of Indiana-owned streets or in state-owned streets in the borough — by calling (724) 465-6512 or by emailing the information to dfairman@indianaboro.com.